


Because You Were There

by Riverthunder



Series: The Prisoners and the Paper Planes [2]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Communicating Through Letters, Gen, Howard Hits Peter, Howard Stark is a Prison Guard, M/M, Reuniting In The Afterlife, Stephen Attacks Howard, Tony Has a Terminal Illness, lying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-08-23 03:30:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16611065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Riverthunder/pseuds/Riverthunder
Summary: Tony, the son of a prison guard, has unfortunately fallen in love with a prisoner from the camp, wanting to be a part of his and his son’s family. However, Tony doesn’t have much longer.Though their first tale must end in tragedy, perhaps its sequel can have a happier beginning.





	Because You Were There

**Author's Note:**

> I’d like to quickly say, while this story is based on _Prisoner_ and _Paper Plane_ and takes place in a prison camp, it is _**not**_ meant to take place during any real world events. 
> 
> Inspired by _Paper Plane_.
> 
> _Paper Plane_ : [Here](https://youtu.be/LfPKTzq0LRM)  
>   
>  _In some time, at some place_  
>  _In the immiscible world_  
>  _What mixed their hapless worlds was one paper plane_

Tony loved nothing more than his brief walks outside the hospital, browsing the grounds, enjoying the sunshine and the cool breeze.  
But the thing he liked best was bringing a paper plane with him to the prison Howard worked at, ready to fly across the fence to the prisoners he loved, Stephen, and his cute little son, Peter.  
Stephen always smiled at him, a cute, sweet smile. Peter always waved, and eager, bouncy wave, where he jumped on the balls of his feet, trying to get Tony’s full and undivided attention.  
Everything about the pair made Tony so happy….  
And Stephen’s eloquent, beautiful responses were just as amazing as visiting him to send his planes to him.  
Each word felt like it was chosen with such care, and Tony always had a bright red face afterwards. Stephen didn’t even know it, but he was so, so good at making Tony blush.  
Tony was sure he had fallen for the prisoner, despite whatever he had done to get himself locked up.  
Tony wasn’t sure why Stephen, or especially Peter, were prisoners. He also didn’t know why Howard was so against him having any correspondence with the prisoners.  
If Stephen committed a crime, it was probably one of those harmless things- failing to pay a ticket, maybe. Though he doubted that was the kind of prison Howard helped run. Still, Howard would never tell him the truth.  
He was sure Stephen wasn’t dangerous. Why was Howard so dead set against Tony communicating with him? Why did he feel the need to yell and scream when he found the paper planes Tony received from Stephen, occasionally with a sloppy postscript greeting from Peter?

~(*)~

Tony liked having the two prisoners in his life. Staying alive while he was so sick was hard- immeasurably difficult- but with someone like Stephen, and someone like Peter, the whole world felt bright and warm. Even if he couldn’t see the sun in his dark, dingy hospital room, it felt like he could when he read those lovely notes folded into paper planes.  
When he read them, he felt like there was meaning in his life- meaning and purpose. Like there was a reason to fight his sickness and get better.  
The chance to talk to Stephen, to hear his voice, that was enough to help Tony push through.  
To try and survive.

~(*)~

But despite the sunshine the letters on the planes gave, Tony’s body was growing weaker.  
He was getting sicker. He was nearing the end of his life.  
As much as he didn’t want to admit it, it was the truth. Soon he wouldn’t be able to visit the fence to trade planes with Stephen and Peter- he was already struggling to walk.  
So, deciding it was for the best, Tony penned a final note- a lie- to hopefully make Stephen and Peter happy with the way their correspondence must end.  
A lie that he was moving away.  
Not the truth, that he was dying.  
Tony ran with this final note to the fence, and threw it to Stephen. Watched the final, love-filled farewell (though he doubted Stephen and Peter would ever know that) catch the wind, and soar over the fence to Stephen’s waiting hands. As soon as Stephen caught and unfolded it, Tony turned on his heel. He didn’t want Stephen to see him cry; he didn’t want to give away the lie. But he wasn’t fast enough.

~(*)~

“We’ll still be here,” Tony heard Stephen call. Oh, his voice was lovely.  
“We’ll hang on to each of your letters to us, and one day we’ll see you again, okay?”  
Tony paused. He wanted so badly to agree. Or to at least tell Stephen the truth, with his own voice.  
But he didn’t.  
He ran away, leaving the man and his son behind him forever.

~(*)~

A few months later, Tony was dying. Not dying like before, where the end was slowly creeping up on him.  
Dying for real.  
Dying today.  
Tony wished with all his heart he hadn’t lied in his final letter to Stephen- but he would never be able to take it back. Stephen thought he had moved far away and was still alive and well. He didn’t know Tony was so close, or that he was dying.  
Tony wondered what might have happened if he could have met Stephen and Peter in person. He pictured himself lifting the child up in his arms, maybe Stephen kissing him on the cheek….  
Even if that vision would never come to light, he wanted with all his heart to see Stephen and Peter again. Just one, final time, to see their faces up close. One final glimpse.  
A chance to see their eyes up close, to memorize the color of the eyes of the man he loved and the boy who was as good as his own son in his eyes.

With his son dying, Howard decided to take matters into his own hands. He hadn’t been a great father; he knew that. If he could do something to help….  
_Stephen and Peter were doomed to die anyway._  
Shortly after entering the prison, he caught sight of the boy, clutching one of Tony’s letters in his hands, padding a few paces ahead of and apart from his father. Howard carefully stepped into the boy’s path, making him run into the aging guard, who glared down at him.  
“Watch where you’re going, boy,” he spat at Peter, who blinked up at him, shocked and scared.  
“I’m sorry, sir,” he said quickly.  
He tried to scamper back to Stephen’s side, but Howard snapped his fingers so Peter was grabbed by some of the other guards. Howard snatched the paper plane out of Peter’s fingers.  
“Let him go!” Stephen snarled, but more guards grabbed him and forced him down to the ground too.  
Howard unfolded the plane, feeling a funny jolt looking at his son’s handwriting.  
“ _ **Dear Stephen,**_  
_**I am so glad to hear that you’ve been enjoying the warmer weather. Hopefully it will stay nice; you and Peter both deserve to enjoy the comforts of summer.**_ ” He read the words in a scathing voice, even though they somehow made him feel empty, then laughed. “How _touching_ ,” he sneered coldly.  
“Please give it back, sir!” the small boy pleaded.  
“Peter, hush,” the man said quickly, his voice panicked. “It’s fine, Peter, don’t worry about it.”  
“Please give it back! Papa likes that letter!” Peter pleaded.  
Howard stared down at the child. Stephen wanted to protect him. He wouldn’t give Howard a cause unless….  
He smacked the child across the face, hard.  
“Hold your tongue.” He said icily.  
That did it. With a snarl, the man tore free of the other guards and sprang at Howard with the anger of a lion, landing a solid punch on Howard’s jaw.  
The other guards quickly grabbed him again, and Howard got to his feet, having been thrown to the ground by the force of Stephen’s blow. He glared down at Stephen coldly. The man now pinned in the dirt while his cried for him, screaming apologies.  
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Howard spat. “Get rid of them,” he snarled to the others, tearing the paper plane in his hands to pieces and letting the pieces flutter to the ground.  
Peter continued to cry out, and Stephen’s panicked eyes almost made Howard feel guilty- but it had to be done. They were due to die soon anyway.  
Perhaps this way….

In the hospital room, Tony, reflected on Stephen and Peter, and all of his regrets, felt his grip on the last paper plane weaken. It drifted to the ground, out of his reach.

~(*)~

Tony’s heart was somehow racing and beating impossibly slowly at the same time. _I just want to see him_ , he thought. _Just one last time._  
Howard was at his bedside then, and he gently pressed something into Tony’s hands.  
The paper plane.  
Tony managed a contented smile.  
The monitor flatlined.

~(*)~

Tony stood in an overgrown field, looking around curiously. Where could he possibly be?  
He heard a rustling behind him and turned on his heel.  
Somehow, his impossible wish had been granted. With legs that could run (how long had it been since he could really, truly run?) he flung himself into Stephen’s arms, and scooped Peter up into his own, laughing happily as he clung to them.  
Stephen’s lips brushed his forehead.  
“You never told us your name.”  
Tony laughed through his happy tears.  
“Didn’t I?”  
“No.” He could tell from the way Stephen said it that he knew Tony was only pretending not to realize this.  
“It’s Tony.”  
“Well then, Tony,” Stephen said, and Tony was suddenly captivated by his beautiful green eyes, “why don’t we take a nice walk?”

**Author's Note:**

> _Because you were there_   
>  _We could always smile_   
>  _Deep darkness ripped us apart_   
>  _Deep darkness re-encountered us again_   
>  _See you tomorrow..._   
>  _You know where..._
> 
>  
> 
> Please feel free to follow me on tumblr!  
>  Riverthunder’s Tumblr Blog
> 
> Or to follow my Marvel RP Blogs!  
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